Tenchi Muyo! Review
By WongZhonshi
Tenchi Muyo! Review
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Plot Synopsis
No plot synopsis or other information available for Tenchi Muyo!
Story & Characters
Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki is a three part OAV series that has spawned several spin-offs and the such. But the original is always best, ne? To get the whole story, you would have to know Japanese. The reason is that the three OAV series only tell a fraction of the story. There are also three novels and various explanatory doujins by the mastermind behind this epic tale, Masaki Kajishima. Most people who think they know a little bit about TM!R don't have a real clue, so there's a lot of misinformation out there. Anywho, the part of the story that the OAV follows is the story of young Masaki Tenchi. Tenchi is of course the central character for the entire story overall, but saying the real reason why would be a huge spoiler. The overline storyline is highly original and imaginitive. Unlike most anime of its time, this started out as an OAV which then inspired two television series which have nothing to do with it past the way the characters look. The official manga is however directly inspired by the OAV but also digresses from Masaki Kajishima's intended story. If you do not have access to Masaki Kajishima's other materials the last episode could possibly be very confusing for you, along with several other elements. These materials have been available in Japan for a long time and most Japanese fans will have a better understanding of the characters and motivations. To non-Japanese fans the third OAV in particular will seem rushed and disorderly. Also, it's important to note the series Tenchi Muyo! GXP takes place in Masaki Kajishima's Tenchiverse, and watching it may help understand the workings of the Tenchi OAV universe and some of the characters a bit better. Though Funimation did a good job at butchering the dubbed version, their subs are pretty good. Overall I'd say Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki is an excellent great show if you have access to MK's other materials, and a good show if you don't. I'd give it a ten for the whole story and about a six or seven for the portion the OAV covers.
- Rating
- 9 (very good)
Art
The visual presentation of the first two OAVs is pretty good considering when they were made. In fact most fans prefer the old style to the newer look of OAV3. A lot of the show takes place in and around the lead character's house as the theme seems to be the ordinary lives of extraordinary people. That being said there is plenty of scenes that take place in space. And what a place space is. Masaki Kajishima's sci-fi/fantasy landscapes are like something from a dream. And the first two OAVs seem to have a lot of that dream-like quality to them. Most fans are dissatisfied with the artwork in the OAV3 as far as I can tell, but I found the new look better suited for the fantastic nature of the climactic events of the story. Of course, the ending's not as good if you just watch the show. So I urge those that can to read the novels if interested in this title. Since the artwork between the first two and third parts is so drastically different, it's hard to give it one rating. I've always been a fan of Masaki Kajishima's artwork and designs, so again I'd probabbly give it a ten.
- Rating
- 9 (very good)
Sound
The music in all three OAVs is, in my opinion, quite beautiful and sometimes quite original sounding. One of the seven leading ladies opposite Tenchi, Ryoko, has especially bouncy image music which I find very enjoyable to listen to. The OSTs are always delightful, and the songs sung by the original voice actors can be very entertaining, sometimes humorous. The original voice talents are top notch, bringing the characters to life since their first appearance in 1992 through all of the spin offs and variant shows. The English dub cast has quite the fan base as well, but to a lot of people many of them just sound kind of weird. OAV3 replaced some of the original English cast with mixed reactions from American fans. Most would agree however that Mona Marshall makes the once sultry voiced Ryoko sound like a twelve year old boy; or something to that effect. Of course everyone knows subs are the way to go, so I haven't watched it in English too much. The original voice talents are just too good in my opinion and hearing someone else's voice come from these beloved characters mouths is slighty freaky, at least to me. I enjoyed the audio presentation very much, but in some instances it isn't quite perfect. So I'll give it a nine.
- Rating
- 9 (very good)
Presentation
The originality of this story is outstanding. Masaki Kajishima lets his imagination soar as he weaves an intricate and fantastic world full of mystery and interesting characters (of course you're missing out on most of the mysteries if you don't have access to the other materials). But even without the backstories TM!R is still a fun and well balanced show. To test the enjoyability of this show as presented in anime form, without the extra information, I gathered a group of various friends and acqaintances to watch the entire show over the course of a week. Most had little or no knowledge of the backstory; only one other than myself was well knowledged in the story. To my surprise most seemed to enjoy it quite a deal and were eager for more; even if they were more than a little confused. Of course then came Act Three, the third OAV. Most were confused, but still seemed to enjoy it. The only one who wasn't interested in watching the rest was the one who knew almost as much about it as me. He was an action buff and quite the perv, so he wasn't as interested in this show. Not enough action, at least of the physical kind. So he'll stick with his Ikkitousen and YuYu Hakusho. But for me, Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki's the way to go. My little experiment showed me that in general the presentation of the OAV, standing alone, is well above what even I expected. It's got humor, its got action(a little), it has drama, and it has plenty of great and interesting characters(not so much without the backstories, but people still seem to find a favorite). However, since most fans in Japan were familiar with the backstory, the third installment throws in several characters and elements that the average western viewer won't be aware of or understand from just watching the first two. But if you are aware of said elements, I felt the presentation was remarkable given the time retraints in making a six episode OAV. Hopefully before too many decades OAV4 will come out, which Masaki Kajishima has stated would be about Tenchi's romantic relationships. But that's only if the project gets the OK I'd imagine. Overall I felt the presentation was actually insanely impressive, especially given the time restraints. I'm giving it a ten.
- Rating
- 9 (very good)
Final Verdict
9.00 (very good)
Reviewed by WongZhonshi, 2y 36wk ago
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Bravo, a fellow intellectual comes to bat for this series and as do I. Artwork in the three OAVs mirrors almost that of an evolutionary process that's as wildly variable as it's creator's mind. "Updates" (as they could be referred to) were all but inevitable in this case, after a ten-year hiatus and absence from the series, changes were bound to happen anyway. Change as a constant is unavoidable, would this all have been produced at one given time and by one given production team, it would remain nearly the same as the first and second OAVs to almost facsimile degree. I find this to happen to many a person after a series or long-awaited program takes a hiatus and comes back somehow different, whether it be via artwork, via sound, or otherwise. Still, it is Tenchi, and it is still damned good.
WongZhonshi, as you did not justify scores of 10 in your review, I have reduced the 10s you gave for Story, Art, and Presentation by one each to 9s. Remember that 10 represents the pinnacle of achievement in a particular category and therefore should be given extremely sparingly.
If you're going to alter the scores I gave, you might as well delete the whole review as it is no longer my opinion. I gave the story a ten because I couldn't give it a twenty. It's the most creative and epic story I've ever heard. I gave the art a ten because Masaki Kajishima's artwork is superb, and the execution of his vision using the technologies availabe at the times of each OAV's creation was remarkable. And of course presentation got a ten because of the way he managed to tell the story he wanted to tell with the time restrictions without sacrificing very much of the story at all. It was truly amazing. No less than tens for any of those.
Still...it was a good synopsis all round. The first OVA did set the benchmark for Anime in storytelling and animation production (Although the animation in the first two OVA's is now a bit dated but does hold it's own to this day) and opened up the market worldwide as the massive fanbase can justify. The problem with OVA three is, As Acyx has correctly stated, That since the long hiatus production design and character designs have changed somewhat- as can be seen in the new upcomming Magical Girl Pretty Sammy series (The story/characters including Sasami have had some radical work-overs!), And also Funimation toned/censored down the dialogue somewhat compaired to Pioneer's(They also toned it down with some subtle changes but left most of it intact, But some fans may dispute this as some were unhappy with Pioneer's effort) also Kajishima Misaki has crammed in a very complex storyline leaving fans with more questions than answers leaving the door open perhaps to further epsiodes down the line-One can hope!. All in all it is a compelling story with multi- dimentional characters. I'll give you 10 for your review WrongZhonshi!
IMO, I agree that the score shouldnt be changed just like that... Its a review written by WongZhonshi, so it should contain his opintion. So its either deleting the whole review, or get WongZhonshi and convinced him about the scores.
Wow, people like you exist? I thought good anime had died a long time ago, but Acyx, and now you, WongZhonshi, you people are the proof that good anime doesnt go unchecked although this reply will... oh well from my artist standpoint, (eh just a fancy title for my oppinion) the first oav had the best graphic design. Go you dude! (Hooray WongZhonshi!)